Lady Bobcats Rally to Win Regional
Somonauk erases two-run deficit in final two innings to end Amboy's banner season 3-2 ...
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At Shabbona (5/22/10)
Class 1A Regional Final
Somonauk 3, Amboy 2
Key: AB-H-R-RBI
Amboy (2) – Carly Dodd c 3-0-
1-0, Kiara Kaleel 1b 3-2-1-1,
Brooke Lonebren ss 3-0-0-0,
Katie Nauman p 3-0-0-0,
Hillary Liebing 3b 3-2-0-1,
Kiara Contreras rf 3-1-0-0,
Taylor Corcoran 2b 3-0-0-0,
Lauren Akre lf 3-0-0-0, Kaitlyn
Appleman cf 3-0-0-0. Totals:
27-5-2-2.
Somonauk (3) – Emily Paull
cf 3-0-0-0, Jordan Smith 2b 3-
0-0-0, Hillary Paull rf 3-2-0-2,
Rachel Raupp cr 0-0-1-0,
Lauren Brommel 1b 2-1-0-1,
Megan Cyr ss 3-0-0-0,
Jessica Schultz p 2-0-0-0,
Samantha Croy c 2-0-0-0,
Kayla Jackson 3b 2-1-1-0,
Ashley Kawall lf 2-1-1-0.
Totals: 22-5-3-3.
Amboy 101 000 0 – 2 5 0
Somonauk 000 003 x – 3 5 1
LOB – Amboy 3; Somonauk
2. 2B - Liebing 2, H. Paull 2.
3B - Brummel. HR - Kaleel.
SB - H. Paull, Dodd. CS - H.
Paull. PB - Nauman.
Amboy ip r er h bb k
Nauman (L) 6 3 3 5 2 2
Somonauk
Schultz (W, 22-4) 7 2 2 5 1 11
Records: Somonauk (23-6),
Amboy (19-15).
Class 1A Regional Final
Somonauk 3, Amboy 2
Key: AB-H-R-RBI
Amboy (2) – Carly Dodd c 3-0-
1-0, Kiara Kaleel 1b 3-2-1-1,
Brooke Lonebren ss 3-0-0-0,
Katie Nauman p 3-0-0-0,
Hillary Liebing 3b 3-2-0-1,
Kiara Contreras rf 3-1-0-0,
Taylor Corcoran 2b 3-0-0-0,
Lauren Akre lf 3-0-0-0, Kaitlyn
Appleman cf 3-0-0-0. Totals:
27-5-2-2.
Somonauk (3) – Emily Paull
cf 3-0-0-0, Jordan Smith 2b 3-
0-0-0, Hillary Paull rf 3-2-0-2,
Rachel Raupp cr 0-0-1-0,
Lauren Brommel 1b 2-1-0-1,
Megan Cyr ss 3-0-0-0,
Jessica Schultz p 2-0-0-0,
Samantha Croy c 2-0-0-0,
Kayla Jackson 3b 2-1-1-0,
Ashley Kawall lf 2-1-1-0.
Totals: 22-5-3-3.
Amboy 101 000 0 – 2 5 0
Somonauk 000 003 x – 3 5 1
LOB – Amboy 3; Somonauk
2. 2B - Liebing 2, H. Paull 2.
3B - Brummel. HR - Kaleel.
SB - H. Paull, Dodd. CS - H.
Paull. PB - Nauman.
Amboy ip r er h bb k
Nauman (L) 6 3 3 5 2 2
Somonauk
Schultz (W, 22-4) 7 2 2 5 1 11
Records: Somonauk (23-6),
Amboy (19-15).
By Cody Cutter
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
SHABBONA - The frustration was evident.
After the fifth inning of the championship game of the Class 1A Indian Creek Regional, the
Somonauk Lady Bobcats couldn't figure out why they were down 2-0 by Amboy. They
couldn't figure out why their chinks of the bat couldn't get out of the infield.
A helmet was heard thrown across the side of the dugout.
At times when emotions can get the best of young ladies, Somonauk found a way to
reverse their dejection and battle back to eventually overtake the Lady Clippers in the
final two innings. Somonauk rallied to beat Amboy 3-2 on Saturday morning.
Down 2-0 heading into the sixth inning, the mood in the Lady Bobcat dugout flipped one-
hundred-eighty degrees after Kayla Jackson led off the inning with a bloop single toward
second base. The hit was only the second of the game for Somonauk (23-6) off of Amboy
starter Katie Nauman.
Ashley Kawall singled during the next at-bat to put Jackson in scoring position. With two
outs, No. 3 hitter Hillary Paull slapped Nauman's first pitch for her second double of the
day to centerfield to plate both Jackson and Kawall to tie the game.
“The first two at-bats, I didn't go up there acting like I needed a hit,” Paull said. “I just
swung and prayed that it would just go in the outfield.”
Now with the dejection completely erased, No. 4 hitter Lauren Brummel connected on a 1-
2 pitch from Nauman into right field. Clipper rightfielder Kiara Contreras and centerfielder
Kaitlyn Appleman both took after the fly ball. When the two were trying to dodge the
other's attempt at catching the ball, it fell to the ground to score courtesy runner Rachel
Raupp from second base.
“I just really wanted a hit that would get Hillary home,” Brummel said. “Because Hillary
works so hard to get everyone else home. Anything – a little hit – could have got Hillary
home. I'm glad it happened like that.
“Kayla had that little small ball, that little blooper, and everyone's eyes just opened up and
everyone got more confident.”
The comeback gave Somonauk pitcher Jessica Schultz a shot in the arm. The freshman
pitcher (22-4) struck out two of the final three batters to secure the team's second
Regional crown in a row. She ended up with 11 strikeouts (27 in two Regional games) on
the morning in a 100-plus pitch performance.
“'Bottom of the sixth: one more inning and we can get this',” Schultz thought as she
entered the final inning. “We can do it. Shut them down, and we did.
“I knew I wasn't going to go out there thinking that we're not going to win. I knew in the end
we were going to. I just knew they were going to get those two runs in.”
Amboy saw the dejection turn to their side of the diamond after the Somonauk comeback.
Nauman had pitched well in the first five innings, retiring 12 straight batters and striking
out two. The Clippers (19-15) scored one run during the first and third innings. Hillary
Liebing hit a two-out double to center to plate Carly Dodd, who was delivered a walk from
Schultz to lead off the game. Amboy's second run came off of a homerun by Kiara Kaleel
to left-center.
“I was solid until the sixth inning,” Nauman said, holding back tears after the game. “They
just did what they had to. They got hits, got on base and got people around.”
Nauman's defense right behind her had plenty of work, as 10 of the 12 consecutive outs
were all cracks of the bat that didn't leave the infield. Paull's first-inning double was the
only fair ball that landed in the outfield grass.
“They came up with some big hits, started with getting a runner on, and just moved them
around,” said Amboy coach Kelly Whitman about the Somonauk comeback. “I hate to see
it come down to that. That's what it was. I thought we played excellent defense up until
that point.”
While Somonauk moves on to Thursday's Pearl City Sectional semifinal against Stockton,
Amboy concludes their best season in program history. What's more, the Clippers started
three freshman and three sophomores in today's game.
“We pretty much broke every record we ever had,” Whitman said. “So it's our best season
for our program. It's definitely an upbeat thing for next year. All we can do is keep going
up.”
Nauman, a junior, will also come back next season.
“Looking back, we did a lot of good things,” said Nauman. “We've accomplished a lot over
the years. This is one of the best seasons, and the only thing we can wait for is next
season and win it next year.”
Cody Cutter is Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
SHABBONA - The frustration was evident.
After the fifth inning of the championship game of the Class 1A Indian Creek Regional, the
Somonauk Lady Bobcats couldn't figure out why they were down 2-0 by Amboy. They
couldn't figure out why their chinks of the bat couldn't get out of the infield.
A helmet was heard thrown across the side of the dugout.
At times when emotions can get the best of young ladies, Somonauk found a way to
reverse their dejection and battle back to eventually overtake the Lady Clippers in the
final two innings. Somonauk rallied to beat Amboy 3-2 on Saturday morning.
Down 2-0 heading into the sixth inning, the mood in the Lady Bobcat dugout flipped one-
hundred-eighty degrees after Kayla Jackson led off the inning with a bloop single toward
second base. The hit was only the second of the game for Somonauk (23-6) off of Amboy
starter Katie Nauman.
Ashley Kawall singled during the next at-bat to put Jackson in scoring position. With two
outs, No. 3 hitter Hillary Paull slapped Nauman's first pitch for her second double of the
day to centerfield to plate both Jackson and Kawall to tie the game.
“The first two at-bats, I didn't go up there acting like I needed a hit,” Paull said. “I just
swung and prayed that it would just go in the outfield.”
Now with the dejection completely erased, No. 4 hitter Lauren Brummel connected on a 1-
2 pitch from Nauman into right field. Clipper rightfielder Kiara Contreras and centerfielder
Kaitlyn Appleman both took after the fly ball. When the two were trying to dodge the
other's attempt at catching the ball, it fell to the ground to score courtesy runner Rachel
Raupp from second base.
“I just really wanted a hit that would get Hillary home,” Brummel said. “Because Hillary
works so hard to get everyone else home. Anything – a little hit – could have got Hillary
home. I'm glad it happened like that.
“Kayla had that little small ball, that little blooper, and everyone's eyes just opened up and
everyone got more confident.”
The comeback gave Somonauk pitcher Jessica Schultz a shot in the arm. The freshman
pitcher (22-4) struck out two of the final three batters to secure the team's second
Regional crown in a row. She ended up with 11 strikeouts (27 in two Regional games) on
the morning in a 100-plus pitch performance.
“'Bottom of the sixth: one more inning and we can get this',” Schultz thought as she
entered the final inning. “We can do it. Shut them down, and we did.
“I knew I wasn't going to go out there thinking that we're not going to win. I knew in the end
we were going to. I just knew they were going to get those two runs in.”
Amboy saw the dejection turn to their side of the diamond after the Somonauk comeback.
Nauman had pitched well in the first five innings, retiring 12 straight batters and striking
out two. The Clippers (19-15) scored one run during the first and third innings. Hillary
Liebing hit a two-out double to center to plate Carly Dodd, who was delivered a walk from
Schultz to lead off the game. Amboy's second run came off of a homerun by Kiara Kaleel
to left-center.
“I was solid until the sixth inning,” Nauman said, holding back tears after the game. “They
just did what they had to. They got hits, got on base and got people around.”
Nauman's defense right behind her had plenty of work, as 10 of the 12 consecutive outs
were all cracks of the bat that didn't leave the infield. Paull's first-inning double was the
only fair ball that landed in the outfield grass.
“They came up with some big hits, started with getting a runner on, and just moved them
around,” said Amboy coach Kelly Whitman about the Somonauk comeback. “I hate to see
it come down to that. That's what it was. I thought we played excellent defense up until
that point.”
While Somonauk moves on to Thursday's Pearl City Sectional semifinal against Stockton,
Amboy concludes their best season in program history. What's more, the Clippers started
three freshman and three sophomores in today's game.
“We pretty much broke every record we ever had,” Whitman said. “So it's our best season
for our program. It's definitely an upbeat thing for next year. All we can do is keep going
up.”
Nauman, a junior, will also come back next season.
“Looking back, we did a lot of good things,” said Nauman. “We've accomplished a lot over
the years. This is one of the best seasons, and the only thing we can wait for is next
season and win it next year.”
Cody Cutter is Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
Photo by Cody Cutter
Somonauk pitcher Jessica Schultz delivers a pitch in the seventh inning in her team's Regional
final game against Amboy. Schultz struck out 11 batters in a 3-2 win.
Somonauk pitcher Jessica Schultz delivers a pitch in the seventh inning in her team's Regional
final game against Amboy. Schultz struck out 11 batters in a 3-2 win.
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